Just a Day
by ChimeraTm
Summary: Because I grew up, Granger. Because we bleed the same, because you are way smarter than me.
1. Chapter 1

Just a Day

Author: chimeraTm

Two-shot

Chapter 1

I wake up, feeling a little bit groggy from last night's activities. I still can't believe I was stupid enough to let myself be tricked into coming to that horrible excuse of a party the Gryffindors held in celebration of winning the Quidditch cup this year. And I still can't believe Ron tried to pour a love potion into my drink he's mental if he thinks I'll go to Hogsmeade with him after that.

Lavender is brushing her hair at the vanity, refusing to acknowledge my presence, her eyes puffy and red. She's probably still pissed that I got attention from her "Won Won". What a drama queen. I take a shower and when I come out, she's gone, probably trying to "smouch Won Won from my grubby little hands".

As I make my way to the library, fully intending to bury myself in homework, I come across the last person I was looking to meet. Ronald!

"You little weasel you, if you ever try to pull something like that again, I'll go straight to McGonagall and tell on you. Do you hear me?" I yell when he continues to look down at his feet, from his sitting position on the window ledge.

"Hermione..." he whispers, "I miss you."

I lower my hands from my hips and for a moment think of forgiving him, but that's what he always does, weasel his way back into my heart. I won't budge this time.

"Tough luck." I finally reply and walk away to the library. I can't believe the nerve of him. He didn't even try hard enough; he just let me leave like that. Doesn't he know that I'm...

I stop from my inner rambling when I hear a sob from the row next to me. I peak between the books, to see who it is, but whatever I was expecting, it wasn't this. Malfoy... as in Draco Malfoy... crying? Hell must have frozen over. But however much of a git he's been with me, despite the gigantic proportions of his hatred towards me, I can't find it inside of me to take glee in his sorrow. So that is how I find myself a couple of seconds later, sitting in front of him, trying to find what to say.

"Err...Malfoy?"

His head snaps up so quickly I almost yelp. He fixes me with his grey eyes and I shiver.

"I don't mean to pry, but..."

He continues to look at me as though I'm some sort of odd specimen. I feel my temper rising.

"Are you goring to stop looking at me like that? I was just trying to be nice. I can't believe you're crying over something so silly as a Quidditch game. Plus, Harry always kicks your ass at it; one would have thought you'd be used to it by now."

I half expected him to slap me or something, but what I didn't expect was for him to smile...a big, white, toothy smile. Not a grin, not a smirk, but a smile.

"Err... did you get hit by a bludger yesterday?"

"No, Mudblood, i did not get hit by a bludger, that would mean I'd have something in common with Potter" he says shuddering and getting up to his feet "I was smiling because I just couldn't believe you could be any more of a goody-tow-shoe than you already were."

I raise my chin a little more and glare at him "I happen to believe that one should help those in need even if they are one's mortal enemy."

"Care to do justice to those words Granger, or are you just saying them because they make you seem more compassionate."

"What do you mean?"

"Say I was in dire need of help... would you give it to me?"

For once I just wanted to be able to say no and leave, but I couldn't, I just couldn't. Damn, he was right.

"Fine! What do you need?"

"After losing the cup, Snap made me write a 7000 word essay on seeker game tactics."

"But that's like 10 scrolls long!" I yell and then flinch, expecting Mrs Pince to shush me. Luckily she's probably too engrossed in her sloppy love novel to care.

"Exactly. That's why i need help. My knowledge only goes so far."

I sigh and lower my shoulders "lead the way"

"How about this one?" I ask pointing at a certain picture in the book I was currently reading.

"The Dragon...Granger, that's my signature move... geez, do you pay no attention at all when you're up there cheering for Pothead?"

"_This _is your signature move?" I say looking at the picture of a seeker performing a very, very...very dangerous spin.

He leans back in his chair, a smug smirk widening itself on his lips "my best move".

"But-but isn't it dangerous?"

"Haven't you done anything dangerous in your life Granger?"

I snort – my mother would be offended by the very un-lady like gesture - "please, Malfoy, everybody knows that Harry, Ron and I have been up against..."

"Yes, yes, your Gryffindor courage never ceases to amaze me, but i wasn't talking about saving the world and such. I was talking about doing something for the thrill of it, like throwing yourself off of the astronomy tower and usingWingardium Leviosa to prevent your fall, or having sex on a broom, up, in the air or…"

"Now you're bluffing. You can't do that!" I say feeling my cheeks heat up. Despite what everyone thinks, my feelings for Malfoy are a lot more complicated than just hate. Believe it or not, Malfoy was my first crush ever. I remember the day I first saw him, like it was yesterday. The moment I stepped into his compartment, looking for Neville's toad, I felt my breath hitch in my throat. He had the physical appearance of an angel, with his white blond hair and pale porcelain skin. Of course it didn't last much, seeing as he was such a bastard. But even so, I couldn't exactly find it inside of me to totally hate him. I hated the way he treated me, I hated the way he would mock my friends, but I could never really hate him.

"Yes you can..." he says with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah? Who, do tell, did you shag on a broom?"

"Oh, it's not that simple Granger. Let's play a game. I ask you five questions, you ask me five questions. That would make it even."

i look at him suspiciously, weighing the pro and cons in my mind. "Fine. Who?"

"Not so fast, kitten; we'll do a truth charm just to be sure we don't lie to one another." a truth charm was bendable, unlike Veritaserum, but you would have to concentrate really hard in order to do so. After the spell's cast, he leans back in his chair and throws me a satisfied look, like the cat that ate the canary.

"Cho Chang."

"What? I don't believe you! When?"

"Does that count as your second question?"

"No. It's related to the first."

"Then I'm not answering it."

I could just leave it at that, but I can't stop being curious "fine! It's my second question"

He rolls his eyes. "After the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. She was pissed i stole the snitch from her. One thing led to another and well... I found myself on her broom, with her on _mine."_

"You are disgusting." I say looking anywhere but at him. is it getting hotter in here or is it just me.

"You'll take that back eventually" he said with a smirk.

It's the second time in less than 4 minutes that Malfoy seems to be flirting with me. And the frightening thing is that i can't seem to not not like it.

'So, three more to go, shoot'

i bite my lip rolling ideas through my head. As i munch on each one, i realize i, in fact, know nothing about Malfoy, aside from the fact that he is a spoiled brat and his father was a death eater. i can't even picture him in class even though we have more than half of them together (my guess is Snape got his hands on the schedule and modified it a bit).

'What's your middle name?'

He throws me a suspicious look and then rolls his eyes. 'That's the best you could come up with? Geez Granger. i don't have a middle name.'

Well if he puts it this way...

'Fine, what would you ask?'

Oh, Merlin, big mistake. As soon as i say the words, a big grin spreads on his lips from corner to corner, making his eyes sparkle in a very... naughty way.

'Are you a virgin?'

i laugh 'well i can't very well ask you that, we all know the answer to...oh.' oh indeed. He had five questions too. i wet my lips and take a deep breath 'define virgin'. i gasp as he moves his chair closer to mine and slowly leans forward so his lips are a thread away from my ear shell.

'You know what virgin means, Granger.' he whispers 'but just so I'm satisfied...' i close my eyes and open my mouth to somehow stop him 'anything above petting?'

At this point i knew i was red from head to toe. i moved my lips to say the word, but it just wouldn't come out. He moves an inch closer ' i didn't quite hear that.'

'No...'

'And anything under?'

i really didn't like this game anymore, not that i liked it to begin with. 'Kiss'

'Who?'

At this point i just want to say you and snogg him silly. But we can't have that, now can we, i am Hermione Granger, respectable Gryffindor, war hero and brightest witch of her age, and none of those is allowed to snogg Draco Malfoy.

"Come on, who was it? I bet it was Krum. Was it Krum? Did you consort with the enemy?"

I scrunch up my nose "I didn't even like Krum in that way. But I did find it flattering that he'd spent so much time trying to make me notice him."

"Then who was it? I sure hope it wasn't Weasle or Potter, I mean, seriously, the Slytherins already think you do it together."

"Of course they would" I roll my eyes. "No, if you must know, he was older. A healer at Mungos, I met him two years ago, after I was attacked by the Death Eaters."

He averts his eyes. Maybe he knows I was actually meaning to say his father had attacked me.

"Naughty, naughty, Granger. An older guy? Well, it does make sense a bit, I mean, you really are too smart for the idiots that roam these halls."

I don't really know if I'm supposed to take that as a compliment or not, so I just avert my eyes, waiting for him to disperse the awkward silence.

"So… you still have two questions left"

Right, back to those it seems. What could I possibly ask him?

"I know!" I pause for effect "what's your favourite book?"

I expect him to lash out and ramble how I am such a dork, but no, he just looks at me with a penetrating gaze, as though my question is the most important thing on this planet.

"The Wake" he murmurs.

I gasp, "That has got to be the saddest story I have ever read!"

"Well then you didn't get it, Granger."

"What else is there to get? They both die."

"I want to believe, given your reputation as the smartest witch of our age, that you didn't read the book in a superficial way. You're a girl, you should have been sniffling and snuffling and praying you could love someone like that."

"Just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean I'm stupid, Malfoy." I say throwing him a disgusted look. "He was already dead, why did she have to die as well?"

"So I gather you wouldn't do it, would you, Granger?"

"Of course not! Would you?"

"You haven't been in love then. I'd do it in a heart beat." He whispers in my ear.

"Well then you are rash!" I reply spitefully; maybe because he just implied he had been, or perhaps still is in love. It makes me feel underachieving.

"You have one more question" he changes the subject.

"This is so difficult, I don't know what to choose. Oh!"

He smirks "You're not going to ask me who my favourite teacher is, are you?"

"No, and plus, everyone knows it's Snape. You two have a very unhealthy relationship."

"He's my godfather, for Merlins's sake"

"Anyway. What is your patronus?"

He smiles fondly, a look I never thought I'd see on Malfoy's face. If, many years later, I'd choose to look back at this moment, I'd realize that was it, the instant Malfoy became more than Malofy. The second that maybe if prolonged would have made me fall in love with him.

"It's a dragon. Not a really big one, just a cub."

Somehow it makes sense. And not just because of his name, but also because of its power and arrogance that describe Malfoy perfectly. And a cub…well he's always been a childish boy, with his constant need for bickering.

"My turn." He suddenly says.

I open my mouth to ask him what he meant, but then I remember. He still has 4 questions left.

"What do you think of me?"

I freeze. Uh, seriously? "Can't you ask me normal stuff? Like what's my favourite book, colour, scent?"

He looks behind me, staring off into space and whispers "Your favourite book is Hogwarts: A History, you like red, but you prefer blue eyes, and as for the scent, you always smell of coconuts."

He turns his eyes to me and looks straight in mine "you have a cat, but you love dogs, you wake up at 7 am every morning, thought you'd rather sleep in. as soon as you get up, you recite the book of spells for healers. You don't eat meat because you refuse to hurt animals. Your animagus form is funnily a ferret, and your patronus is an otter. You don't like the sun and your favourite season is autumn."

I open my mouth a couple of times, but nothing comes out. I don't understand. No one knows that many things about me. It's somewhat scary and somewhat very arousing at the same time. And to top it all off, a small voice in the back of my mind still keeps yelling how underachieving I am compared to him. He makes me feel shallow because I've never paid any attention to him.

"How did you" I begin to ask but he stops me.

"I was assigned to watch you, Granger. During the war."

"Assigned…"

"I had to watch you, day and night, night and day. I had to know everything about you." He says looking at a spot behind me.

"Why did you turn?" I hear myself asking, even before the question bounced off the walls of my mind.

He smirks "your questions are up, Granger, you can't very well ask me that."

My face remains serious. "Tell me, Malfoy." For some reason I really want to know. It couldn't have been easy for him, watching his father die, knowing that he was bating for the team that killed him.

He sighs and turns his eyes to me. "Because I grew up, Granger." He pauses for a long moment, but just when I open my mouth to ask, he continues, "Because we bleed the same, because you are way smarter than me." My eyes soften, but before I could say something he turns his eyes back to the spot behind me "now answer my question, Granger."

I don't want to, only because I knew the words that would inevitably spill from my mouth weren't nice, and apparently I didn't have my facts straight.

"I think you are a spoiled chid, not stupid, but limited to the archaic way of thinking. You don't care about other's feelings, since you broke so many girls' hearts, you're obviously spiteful and mean to others and you always think you are right." The next things I didn't want out of my mouth for a very different reason "I think you are very beautiful, and witty, a great wizard and powerful person."

I clear my throat awkwardly, not looking at him.

"Close your eyes."

I immediately turn a suspicious eye to him. "Why?"

"Just do it."

For whatever reason I listen to him.

"You are just coming home from work. You had a hectic day and you've been dying to get home. You haven't had time for anything since you were promoted to head healer of magical creatures department. You open the door and let yourself in. what do you find?"

I guess I shouldn't be surprised he figured out I wanted to be a healer in the magical creature department, but I just can't help myself. At the same time, my mind flashes images behind my eyes.

"My dog comes barking to greet me. I go to the kitchen, but I find it empty. I walk up the stairs, and enter the bedroom, still empty. I feel two hands circling my waist. He whispers into my ear he's been thinking of making love to me all day."

"Who is he?"

"My husband." He doesn't push the issue further and I am more than grateful, because at that particular moment, he looked very much like Malfoy.

"No kids?"

"No, I'm too busy with work to tend to them and I don't want them to grow up with a nanny. We still have time. I want one child."

I can't see him, but my gut says he's nodding.

"Have you ever fantasized about me?"

I desperately want to say no, but the truth charm makes its presence known, and I am way too flustered to work against it. "Yes."

"Tell me."

"Before you turned. When I found you crying in the bathroom. I wished you had kissed me instead of hexing me. In my mind I tried to run, but you put a hand on the door, blocking my way out. I felt my heart beating loudly and I wondered if you could hear how frightened I was. I turned around scared you would hurt me, and gathering my courage I looked into your eyes. You were in so much pain that my fear dissipated a little. I wanted to help you. I licked my lips trying to find my words. You looked down, at the movement and you grabbed my neck and held me steady while you proceeded to kiss me. We had sex by the door, partially dressed."

After a couple of moments of pregnant silence I open my eyes, but don't have time to take in anything as he harshly moulds his mouth to mine. He probably knew I would respond the way I do to him, because he doesn't stop to check, he just hoists me up and slams me on the table, his mouth relentless in his pursuit of his and my pleasure. I dig my nails into his back, feeling my nerve endings snap. His hands pull my shirt from my school skirt, and slither upwards towards my breast, but not just. I groan, trying to push his hands there. He grounds into me, and I open my legs further.

"Last question: do you want me to stop?" he pants in my ear.

I don't even think things through as I breath "No, please don't."

My fantasy never got to the part where we'd be finished, so now, I find myself at an impasse. I awkwardly try to gather my things, without looking at him. It isn't shame that I feel, strangely I don't regret it, it was perfect, but I'm afraid that I would if I were to look at him. When I try to leave, I feel him grab my hand.

"Come back here!" he says in a husky voice.

After an afternoon of Draco making me feel things I never thought possible, I don't feel as afraid to look at him. So it doesn't come as strange to me when he offers me his hand, helping me up, and tags along as I make my way to dinner. Half way down that road, I feel him take my hand in his, I turn to look at him… he really is beautiful. Suddenly I snap from my haze when I see Harry and Ron passing me. I momentarily forget about my spat with Ron, and the fact that I am holding their enemy's hand.

"Guys!" I yell. But they don't turn.

"Granger…" I hear Draco say from my right.

I look at him annoyed. "They're still my friends."

"Harry!" I yell. He doesn't turn. I look around me; everyone is passing by me, ignoring me, even though I'm yelling like a banshee.

"Harry…Ron" I now yell desperately, my heart in my throat, preventing me from breathing. Something was definitely wrong.

I try to go after them, yelling at them the whole time. Draco stops me, grabs my arms, and everyone turns to look at us, or rather him, as he shakes me, looks deep into my eyes, and kisses me softly on the lips. I panic even more, he's not acting right, he's… he's… as though…

"Hermione…" he whispers, a tear slipping down his cheek "you're dead."

A/N: I'm sorry for any mistakes that I have made. I hope you liked the story. I'll be posting the next and final chapter as soon as I can, and for those of you that read my other story, I just want to assure you that I will finish it eventually, it's just that I have a lot of stories half way written and I don't know which one to finish first. Let me know what you think of the story.


	2. Chapter 2

**Fifteen years later (2013)**

On an old chair, in an old classroom of an old castle, sits a girl, an eleven year old, a first year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a school for the gifted. With her red hair falling over her face, she sits bended forward, deep in concentration. Biting her left index nail, she turns the page of the old book on her knees and continues reading

"finally, she found it, the book she'd been searching for over a week. It was right there… in front of her, page 1388: _no wizard or witch can be brought from the dead, no body can be brought back to life after it's soul has left, but there is a way to contact the soul. In Mr Warrington's book, on the philosopher's stone, he mentions an incantation, that he'd taken from this stone, an incantation, that, used with the stone would grant one immortality. But as we all know, the stone has been lost for years now, and though many witches and wizards have tried to find it, they have yet to be successful in their pursuit. But I began to wonder, if used with the stone, it would give you immortality, than what would the incantation do on itself? This question was my worst and best mistake ever, for you see, with it, I got to see my late wife's soul, spend a miraculous day with her…but just a day, then we were both dead, because you see, the incantation lets you communicate with souls, but the price to pay is your life. So that is why, now in my ghost form, I …_"

WHAM! The girl shrieked, her book fell, the cover turning upwards, so nosy little kids could see "The Wake" written in cursive letters across it.

"Miss Weasley, this is the last time I catch you reading in my class. Detention for a week, and I will ask Mrs Pince to suspend your library pass for a month."

"But…" the girl begun, with tears in her eyes

"No buts, young lady" a stern McGonagall said "Merlin knows where you get your reading habits from, your father sure didn't lift a book in his school life."

**1998**

The Daily Prophet

"Last night, December 19'th, the Wizarding World was faced with the most tragic event yet to come since the Final Battle of 1997. At eleven pm, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was attacked by four remaining Death Eaters that entered the school by way of a magical automobile. Though Aurors present at the scene reassure us that these delinquents are now confined to Azkaban Prison, we are sad to announce that war hero Hermione Jane Granger was found dead in the Gryffindor tower, murdered."

a/n 1: knut for your thoughts?

a/n 2: I know, I know, you all probably expected a long and wonderful chapter, with twists and turns and happy endings. But, well this is it, just a short explanation for the first chapter, so that everyone gets it.

*do not own anything related to harry potter*


End file.
